IUSA appoints 1st director of sustainability

After IU tied for being one of the least sustainable campuses in the Big Ten, the IU Student Association has named its student director of sustainability.

The IUSA department of sustainability has chosen graduate student and Indiana Daily Student columnist Abby Schwimmer to lead its team.

“This is a chance for someone to coordinate all of the initiatives,” IUSA President Luke Fields said, “as well as centralize student groups across campus.”

Schwimmer has past experience working with the IU Task Force on Campus Sustainability. She was also a coordinator of the IU Volunteers in Sustainability.

“With Volunteers in Sustainability we did a Jordan River clean-up, painted the recycling bins around campus and picked up all the cardboard on move-in day,” she said.

Working since the beginning of the fall semester, Schwimmer has already taken initiatives starting in the IUSA offices by promoting recycling in the office, turning off computer monitors after use and making all those in the office switch from using Styrofoam cups to ceramic mugs.

Schwimmer said the IUSA department of sustainability has already picked an assistant director, sophomore Stas Futoransky, and they have plans to bring in a freshman intern.

Other plans for the sustainability department this year include general sustainability education outreach, efforts to increase recycling among students who live off campus and looking into a solution for “e-waste,” which includes disposing and refurbishing old and unused electronic devices in an environmentally friendly way, according to a press release.

IUSA public relations director Stefanie Smith said this new position is especially important, as the University is also in the process of naming a director of sustainability.

“Ideally, (the University Director of Sustainability) should have knowledge in technology, be people-oriented, be good at publicizing and getting people to care about change while channeling the main points,” Schwimmer said.

Fields and Schwimmer emphasized the importance of the role students continue to play in this aspect of university life. They agreed students should offer up suggestions to better sustainability efforts.

“We need to focus on student concern and outreach,” Schwimmer said. “If the students want change, the University will give it to them.”